The Traditions of Traditions

 Welcome back!

        If you're a musician, you know that we play a lot of gigs (depending on our instruments), including but not limited to funerals, weddings, parties, or any event that requires music. As a percussionist, I don't get as many bookings as someone who might play flute or violin would, but that doesn't stop me from getting booked for any other instrument I play. Below, you will be introduced to many different events I've played and what exactly I played at said events. 

        Great Grandma's Funeral:

    A year ago, my great-grandmother passed away. Of course, something like that is very difficult, and it heavily impacted my life. A couple of weeks before she passed, I was notified that written in her will, I specifically play piano at her funeral. To me, this was both an honor and a tsunami of pressure. Her wish was that I play the song Too Young, which was her and my great-grandfather's wedding song. I remember as a kid, she used to sing that song almost as if it was a lullaby for me because she had dementia and I am a music therapy major, I wanted to return the favor and sing to her the song she used to once sing to me before she passed. Sitting in front of her bed with my family behind me, I start singing the words to the song. Before I knew it, my great-grandmother was singing back to me with as much of a smile as she could seem to bear. She was singing every word. Moments before, we could barely get her to recognize our faces. For a brief moment after singing with her, we were able to talk with her and be with her. For my family, this experience was truly a miracle, for me, it showed me the impact of this song on my great-grandmother. The performance went well, and yes, I cried. 

            Weddings and Debutante:

    Both of these gigs fall hand in hand because my purpose for these gigs was to just be background music and background music I was. I had always been so used to being watched, and well, you know, when people ask for music, you expect to be watched. When you aren't being watched, you turn into a different musician, and I'm not sure how to describe it. They were both treated as jazzy-ish gigs, especially the debutante, except when we played the march, which was excruciatingly boring, but I will gladly play the gig anytime I need for the jazz. I love jazz. Here's just a couple of songs that I played at these events;

Playing as a live musician will always be one of my favorite passions. I love to perform because within itself, performing is an art and I will never stop creating art.